Bridgeport – Bridgeport Mayor and Democratic candidate for Governor Joe Ganim today urged the General Assembly to pass a “comprehensive, smart approach to legalizing, regulating and taxing recreational marijuana in Connecticut.”
Ganim recently submitted testimony to the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee favoring Senate Bill No. 487 sponsored by Senate President Marty Looney. The bill would allow anyone over the age of 21 to purchase marijuana for recreational use from state licensed retail outlets. Ganim’s testimony:
Testimony of Joe Ganim On Recreational Marijuana
“The entire New England region is moving towards legalizing recreational marijuana. Connecticut has already decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana and established medical marijuana that has been safely and effectively regulated by the state. With the proper regulations in place, Connecticut should take the next step and legalize recreational marijuana,” Ganim said.
Ganim added, “I have consulted with Governor John Hickenlooper’s team in Colorado and there is much we can learn from their experience as the first state to implement recreational marijuana. We should be smart about this and use best practices from states like Massachusetts who are moving deliberately towards retail sales of cannabis products later this year.”
Colorado had more than $1.5 billion in marijuana sales in 2015, generating more than $210 million in tax revenue. The industry has generated more than 20,000 jobs, Tax revenue in Colorado from sales of recreational marijuana is used for programs to fight addiction, and public health statistics show usage rates of cannabis products have not increased for any segment of the population.
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